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Comment by metalliqaz | Hacker News Reader

Yes, exactly. In fact there were some ebay "helper" companies that made a go of it in the early 2000's. They went out of business because it doesn't add enough value. USPS created Media Mail and flat rate boxes, and UPS stores are found in nearly every community. They handle the hard part (shipping) well enough.

The only thing I can think of is Gamestop positioning to become a clearing house for fan swag or gaming items the way Woot is for Amazon overstock.

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Yes, exactly. In fact there were some ebay "helper" companies that made a go of it in the early 2000's. They went out of business because it doesn't add enough value

It didn't add enough value back then, but IMHO it does now. Selling on eBay is a massive hassle these days for a variety of reasons, and much less profitable for onesy-twosy transactions than it used to be.

If I could just drop off a bunch of stuff at my local GameStop and forget about it until the checks arrive in the mail... yeah, there's definitely a business model there.

They’re called consignment stores and some have an online component (which can involve eBay or other similar marketplaces).

Yes, consignment stores have existed for a long time, but they aren't generally functional interfaces to eBay. If you want your stuff to sit on a shelf for the next few years, a consignment store is OK, I suppose.

When I sell something, I usually want the item gone ASAP in exchange for a modest amount of money.

There’s a ton of eBay sellers doing consignment, usually for friends that just want to sell things but I’ve seen some much larger operations selling pallets worth of goods from stores not large enough to wholesale or liquidate.

Yep, watching the store/usernames of sellers can be instructive (many thrift stores, pawn shops, consignment stores, and others list things on eBay, especially for fixed price).

One of the reasons to refund an order is “already sold in-person”.

There's one of these near me in a shopping center with terminally low rents. I think the additional value add for these places is that a) they can help you price the item to move and b) they can wade through eBay support if things go wrong.

That sounds like a very low value add. So you’ll have some teenagers clicking on the eBay portal for me like I’ve never used a computer before?

I think the value is in not having to mess with scammers and people who make eBay difficult to interact with (i.e. those who game the system).

I remember one of these shops all the way back in the late 2000s. At the time I was confused about whether it was operated by eBay or a third party. It did not last long.

Memorialized: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNsFEhHLlHA

iSOLD It on eBay apparently still has listings out of Pasadena, California

https://www.i-soldit.com/listings/

> USPS created Media Mail

Umm, that’s been around since 1938, which is a few years before the era you’re talking about…

Amazon probably wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for USPS subsidizing media mail

It disgusts me how eBay sellers abuse the US Post Office by stealing supplies. It’s one way to guarantee I never buy from someone again.

USPS is the only storefront I can think of that allows you to walk in, grab an unlimited amount of boxes/supplies, and walk out with no questions asked.

They will even deliver boxes to your front door, for free, by simply submitting a form online.

It's so easy, I'm not at all surprised that it's occasionally abused.

FedEx used to send anyone big boxes of free bubble mailers

Then have to waste time to politely educate the sellers…

They wrap up the free priority mail flat rate boxes to obscure markings to send them with a cheaper service. So they know should they’re naughty but might not realize it’s reached the level of a crime, perhaps. Definitely didn’t realize they’d have customers who don’t like stealing from themselves (taxpayers)

It’s a federal crime the the post office periodically investigates. You get offered to pay USPS’s estimate of the amount of postage you stole, or else face a criminal trial.

FedEx and UPS will report priority Mail boxes to USPS as well.

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